National Newswatch

Topics

Spencer Van Dyk

‘A deep reverence for Parliament’: MacKinnon defends PM Carney’s no-shows in question period

Government House leader Steven MacKinnon is defending the prime minister’s commitment to parliamentary procedure, as Conservatives highlight Mark Carney’s lack of attendance during question period in the House of Commons this year. On Tuesday, Conservative MPs held a press conference on Parliament Hill to present a cake marking Carney’s 100 missed question periods. According to the Conservatives, of the 10...

Calder McHugh, Nick Taylor-Vaisey

The Political Education of Mark Carney - On the world stage, Canada's PM is a statesman. In Ottawa, he is a ward boss.

On the world stage, Canada's prime minister is a statesman. In Ottawa, he is a ward boss. MONTREAL, QUEBEC — Mark Carney arrived at the Liberal Party convention in April ready to play the hits that had carried him through a triumphant year in office. “Hope isn’t a plan, and nostalgia isn’t a strategy,” he said in his keynote address...

Ashley Burke

Governors general can no longer bill government for casual and business clothing

Rideau Hall changed guidelines to say what can and cannot be expensed. Rideau Hall changed its clothing guidelines during Governor General Louise Arbour's transition to office to explicitly state that the King's representative to Canada cannot bill taxpayers for casual outfits or business attire. The guidelines now say governors general can only be reimbursed for "distinct wardrobe requirements" needed to...

Kyle Duggan

'This is nuts': The hard-fought race to build Canada's next submarine fleet

From a massive ad blitz featuring Canadian broadcast icon Peter Mansbridge to a cabinet minister calling on shipbuilders to cough up a car plant, the brief race to replace Canada's aging submarine fleet turned heads in more ways than one. The unusually short competition to build the navy's next submarine fleet seemed to focus on everything but the boats themselves...

Jesse Cnockaert

Alberta separation issue draws ‘powerful’ voice in Jason Kenney, with Wab Kinew offering out-of-province view, say strategists

Former Alberta premier and early ‘remain’ supporter Jason Kenney is a “powerful” voice in his ability to reach conservatives on the topic of Alberta separation, say party strategists, while the effectiveness of Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew, another prominent anti-secession voice, is drawing mixed reactions. “I think there’s a lot of nuance in both Jason Kenney and Wab Kinew, and the...

Polls

David Coletto

Federal Liberal Lead Holds Steady

This latest wave of Abacus Data’s federal political tracking finds little evidence that the shifts we observed earlier this month have continued. After a survey two weeks ago showed declining optimism about the country, lower government approval, softer ratings for Prime Minister Mark Carney, and a narrowing Liberal lead, this latest wave suggests the drop we measured last wave hasn’t...

Bruce Anderson

Lots of Conservative & NDP voters give the Carney government solid marks on 22 items.

Poilievre has failed to galvanize his 2025 coalition by arguing that Carney has been a failure. And the NDP voters no longer look like they would only vote Liberal to avoid a Conservative government.

Opinion

Susan Delacourt

How much are we willing to do to keep Alberta around?

A referendum is looming in Alberta, which will reveal this fall how far the province is ready to go toward the independence option. For the rest of Canada, a big question revolves around how much are we willing to do to keep Alberta in the federation. Some new polling by Abacus Data may offer some insights into that question and...

Althia Raj

‘Tinfoil hats’? Is this Mark Carney’s government or Stephen Harper’s?

As the Carney government wraps up the parliamentary sitting this week, political watchers may be forgiven for thinking they’ve entered a time warp. Opposition MPs — Conservatives prominently among them — stood in the House of Commons, sounding the alarm over Liberal attempts to shut down debate, halt committee studies, block witnesses and stop amendments. The government’s moves were an...

News

Judy Trinh

Record Canadian trade mission heads to Japan as CUSMA review looms

A record-setting number of Canadian executives are in Tokyo this week to participate in what has become the largest Team Canada trade mission in the Indo-Pacific region. Nearly 300 people representing 175 Canadian companies will gather at the Sheraton Miyako hotel in downtown Tokyo to network with Japanese executives. The Canadians have one goal in mind: to forge partnerships in...

Lauren Krugel

Experts on both sides of the pond say Alberta would do well to learn from Brexit

Ten years ago this week, the United Kingdom voted to quit the European Union, setting off years of political turmoil and economic pain that persist to this day. Richard Barfield was working at consulting giant PricewaterhouseCoopers around the time of the Brexit referendum, advising financial services clients on risk and regulatory matters. He considered himself "reasonably well-informed," but even he...

Politician's Pen

Senator David Wells

Regulatory Predictability, Not Government Favouritism, Will Get Major Projects Built

Government House Leader Steven MacKinnon’s recent acknowledgment that new legislation may be needed to accelerate approvals for major projects is an admission of long-standing failure. Canada’s regulatory system for infrastructure and resource development has become slow, uncertain, and politicized. While Ottawa now speaks of one or two year approval windows and continues expanding entities like the Major Projects Office, deeper...

Senator Andrew Cardozo

To be or not to be (partisan)? that is the question facing the Prime Minister on the Senate

Opinion (Continued) More

Fen Osler Hampson

Lessons from Trump’s Iran Deal for Canada’s CUSMA Negotiators

The memorandum of understanding Donald Trump cobbled together with Iran’s leadership may seem far removed from Canada’s negotiations over the future of CUSMA. However, the Iran deal, hastily concluded under intense economic pressure, offers three clear lessons for Ottawa: know your leverage, understand what truly frightens Trump, and resist the urge to fold too early. On paper, Iran and Canada...

Political Pulse Panel

What does summer hold for the federal parties?

The House of Commons adjourned its spring sitting on Thursday after Liberals used their recently acquired majority to push some bills through with unanimous consent. The Pulse Panel weighs in.

Andrew Coyne

The cozy world of Hockey Night in Canada and the CBC hasn’t existed for some time

Justin Ling

Trump’s Iran deal is a disaster. Why is Carney so pleased about it?

Mark Carney says Donald Trump’s peace deal with Iran is a “game changer.” If that game is Risk, then the U.S. president just rolled snake eyes, announced he didn’t want to play anymore and began eating some of the plastic soldiers. I remain perplexed as to why our prime minister continues to commend a war that has always been an...

Adrienne Tanner

Smith's oil bucks will not be enough to keep Albertans happy

You know things are getting a bit desperate when a politician starts cutting $100 “affordability” cheques to buy back a bit of political goodwill. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s decision to pass on a slice of the province's recent gas tax windfall directly to residents smacks of a payoff, and a paltry one at that.

Campbell Clark

A little peek into the Carney-Trump trade dynamic

They were the kind of words a parent might say to convince a child scrunching his nose at his birthday present that it’s really what he wanted: “I thought you’d actually like that.” In this case, the Prime Minister of Canada was speaking to the President of the United States. Mark Carney was trying to convince Donald Trump that a...

Éric Blais

Mark Carney’s radical decisiveness leaves no room for pussyfooting

Prime Minister Mark Carney apparently has a patience problem. According to the Toronto Star’s Althia Raj, sources within the party complain that he raises his voice (or he yells, depending on the receiver) and openly shows his displeasure when caucus discussions veer into what he considers political navel-gazing. To career politicians accustomed to consensus-building, this behaviour feels abrasive. It is...

Rick Bell

Facing a chorus of critics, Danielle Smith defends Dani Dollars payout

Well, we now know how many Dani Dollars Albertans are getting. Albertans 18 and older who've filed their taxes and have a household income of $225,000 a year or less will score a tax-free $100. Just so you know, the Alberta government considers a household to be a single person or two people who are married or in a common-law...

Max Fawcett

The energy Cold War has only just begun

US President Donald Trump may have finally found a way out of the war he started with Iran. No, it doesn’t come close to regime change, which was one of the Trump administration’s initial justifications for the war. There isn’t even a return of political prisoners, constraints on the country’s proxy forces in the Middle East or an end to...

Conrad Black

Don't believe the haters — Trump is on his way to a strategic victory in Iran

The anti-Trump view of world affairs, dictated this week by the Iranian mullahs, will hold that U.S. President Donald Trump has surrendered. It is worth remembering that when Hamas invaded Israel and massacred 1,200 people and kidnapped about 250 others on Oct. 7, 2023, Iran was well on its way toward developing nuclear weapons, hoped that the Hamas invasion of...

Susan Delacourt

A long, hot summer awaits Mark Carney

One of the downsides of being prime minister is that the job doesn’t come with much vacation. Mark Carney will likely be relieved to see the House of Commons adjourn for the summer in the coming days, but he will be heading into vacation season with several storm clouds on the horizon.

Andrew Coyne

Trump’s Iran deal is a national humiliation

The reviews have not been kind. “A disaster.” A “catastrophe.” The “worst strategic blunder the U.S. has made post-World War II.” Garry Kasparov, the former world chess champion and trenchant geopolitical observer, perhaps said it best: “Trump said he demanded unconditional surrender, we just didn’t know he meant America’s.” What they are describing, of course, is the Trump-Iran “deal,” or...

Jennifer Ditchburn

Canadians not confident public service is prepared for the future

There are many things the Carney government needs to achieve its economic ambitions: global allies, foreign direct investment, intergovernmental collaboration and a skilled labour force.

Rick Bell

Dani Dollars — Danielle Smith set to dole out dough to Albertans

Step right up. Read all about it. Here it comes. Dani Dollars. Yes, Dani Dollars will be rolled out Wednesday by Premier Danielle Smith and her UCP government. Of course, Dani Dollars isn't the official name of Smith's doling out the dough, just like Ralphbucks wasn't the official name when money was headed your way back in the day.

Vina Nadjibulla

Beyond Joly’s Four Conditions: Canada Needs a Strategy for Chinese EVs

In the inevitable hot-mic moment at this week’s G7 in Evian, France, Prime Minister Mark Carney summarized for President Donald Trump Canada’s new electric vehicle arrangement with China. Carney is overheard reassuring Trump that there’s a cap of 49,000 Chinese EVs imported under the deal. But the real story of how China’s global auto-industry ambitions are playing out in Canada...

Adam Radwanski

Why Mark Carney might be hiding behind Doug Ford on the Billy Bishop expansion

Mark Carney made the mistake of hiding behind Doug Ford, during the push for an expansion to Billy Bishop airport. And as a result, the prospect of jets and millions more passengers flying onto and off the Toronto Islands every year — which the prime minister seemed initially to want — is looking more unlikely by the day.

Tasha Kheiriddin

The key to reaching a trade deal with the U.S.

Is there hope for the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA)? For over a year, Canada-U.S. trade talks have been testy at best, in a deep freeze at worst. U.S. President Donald Trump mocked us as the “51st state,” put tariffs our steel, aluminum and autos, and claimed that America doesn’t need anything we’re selling. Prime Minister Mark Carney declared that Canada...

Andrew Phillips

Sorry, Mark Carney, ‘Shakedown in Windsor’ is a true crime drama where Donald Trump holds a bridge, and a nation, hostage

Mark Carney says there’s “no big drama” in the fact that the Trump administration has taken a $6.4-billion bridge hostage as part of its campaign to have its way with Canada. In this, at least, the prime minister is wrong. The troubled saga of the Gordie Howe International Bridge is a real-life drama. The question is: what type?

Max Fawcett

Mark Carney still cares about climate policy

For a guy who spent much of his career talking and writing about climate policy, Mark Carney has been conspicuously quiet on the subject ever since becoming prime minister. Part of that, I’m sure, is a desire to avoid the mistakes made by the last guy who had his job. And part of it is an understandable need to prioritize...

Gillian Steward

Why Alberta’s new oil pipeline may never be built

In less than two weeks Alberta is expected to deliver to the federal government a solid proposal for a pipeline to the northwest coast of B.C. But so far there is no private sector partner willing to come forward to pay for it. This is definitely a fly in the ointment of a proposal that Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has...

Althia Raj

Carney government prepares to dismantle pesticide rules

The Carney government shut down a committee study Monday on a financial bill that includes sweeping changes to Canada’s pesticides law by allowing cabinet to overrule any pesticide ban the health minister imposes for being too toxic to the environment. The Liberals blame the Conservatives for filibustering the committee — which they have. But the Grits are impatient, want to...

Justin Ling

Poilievre’s Conservatives’ latest ad featured ‘Canadians’ who weren’t even real. It takes us to a dark place

The Conservative party wants you to picture lineups around the block for Canada’s overwhelmed food banks. To help, they’ve used AI to generate a false scene. Rather than appreciate the helpful visuals, we should make clear: This sucks.

Don Newman

Welcome to the Political Needle-Threading Chapter of the Alberta Referendum Debate

As the October Alberta referendum looms closer, politicians representing the province are discovering the joys of needle threading. The most vivid example was Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s June 8th Calgary speech, in which the Alberta born-and-raised, more recently Alberta-elected MP, presented an argument to the province’s separatists for remaining in Canada. “The answer therefore for Albertans is not to pull...

John Ivison

Let Starmer’s defence-spending implosion be a warning to Carney

The lesson is the welfare-vs-warfare debate is an irrelevancy and western societies need to be more resilient in an age of rising threats

News (Continued) More

Jason Markusoff

U.S. tariffs go easy on Alberta. That lets separatists go harder on Canada

On tariff impact, political response and more, Alberta became an outlier. Several factors have triggered concern in some corners of the country about the role the United States may play in Alberta’s upcoming referendum on separation. They range from a Trump cabinet secretary’s remarks, to administration meetings with separatists, to the spectre of U.S.-based foreign influence campaigns. But what if...

Jenna Olsen

The Conservative Party recently released an AI-generated ad. How do voters feel about this kind of content?

Experts say Canadians should expect more generative AI in political advertising. The Conservative Party of Canada released a political ad on June 5 that featured AI-generated footage, an advertising tactic experts expect to see more of as political campaigns around the world embrace the technology. The video depicts people lining up at food banks, losing their jobs and having their...

Kathy Le

Smith touts natural gas as key to Alberta’s AI ambitions as proposed data centre sparks concerns in small community

Premier Danielle Smith says natural gas will be key to Alberta’s ambitions of becoming Canada’s artificial intelligence hub, but experts and residents say the strategy raises questions about emissions, electricity demand and how large-scale developments could affect communities. At the New North America Summit this week, Smith said natural gas will be critical to powering the enormous electricity needs of...

Lisa Johnson

Longtime Calgary councillor and Alberta NDPer Joe Ceci to call it a career in 2027

Hobbled by more than just low oil prices, Alberta's NDP finance minister limped into the legislature in a cast to deliver a devastating budget. It was 2017, and Joe Ceci had injured his leg competing for face time with a busy premier on an early morning jog. He was Rachel Notley's right hand man in cabinet, and the only New...

Muslim group and federal culture minister decry alleged attack on imam in Victoria

A Muslim group and Culture Minister Marc Miller are decrying an alleged attack on an imam of a mosque in Victoria. Miller says in a tweet that the reported assault is "appalling and vile" and that such violence and Islamophobia have no place in Canada. The National Council of Canadian Muslims says in a statement that the imam was parked...

Jack Farrell

Lamb shank, 48 cans of beans, gum: A look at what Alberta's politicians expense

A survey of spending over the last fiscal year by Alberta's provincial politicians indicates taxpayers are footing the bill on everything from bison steak dinners to a pack of gum. And a can of pop. The expenses, posted online on the legislative assembly website, show the purchases kept within the rules set for the job, which includes meeting constituents and...

U.S. and Iran to talk Sunday in Switzerland as Tehran says it closed Strait of Hormuz again

U.S. and Iranian negotiators headed to a Swiss venue Saturday for talks on adding key details to their interim agreement to halt the war, hours after Tehran said it closed the Strait of Hormuz because of Israel’s attacks in Lebanon and warned that little might be achieved if the fighting doesn’t stop. U.S. President Donald Trump, in response, threatened to...

Jeremie Charron

First trilateral CUSMA review meeting set for July 1

Canadian officials will meet their Mexican and American counterparts on July 1 for the first tri-lateral meeting to review the Canada-U.S.-Mexico (CUSMA) agreement, a spokesperson for Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic Leblanc confirmed. In a statement to CTV News, the spokesperson said Leblanc is looking forward to meeting with his U.S. and Mexican counterparts on July 1, “as prescribed in the...

Peter Mansbridge, Chantal Hébert, Bruce Anderson

Good Talk: Canada Wins - Canada Wins!

Sometimes sport can be such a nice distraction. Like last night. Canada's first-ever win in World Cup Soccer. And what a win, 6-0 in front of a home crowd in Vancouver. Nice distraction for the PM, who was in attendance, after what some felt was a bended-knee performance for Donald Trump at the G7 in France. He wasn't alone. What...

Mahdis Habibinia

Premier Doug Ford drowned out by chanting, booing protesters at annual Ford Fest

Remarks by Premier Doug Ford at his annual summer bash, Ford Fest, were drowned out Friday evening by an eruption of booing, blowing whistles and chanting from protesters making plain their grievances over a host of issues. People dressed in purple OPSEU shirts, bearing the slogan “Worth Fighting For” which was also their chant, were peppered among a sea of...

‘It’s Canada. It’s Canadians’: New book examines rise of far-right extremism

A new book examining far-right extremism in Canada argues the movement has evolved dramatically in the past decade, shifting from small, organized groups to a broader network fuelled by social media, conspiracy theories and political grievances. In For Blood and Soil: Far-Right Extremism in Canada, researchers Stephanie Carvin and Amarnath Amarasingam trace the movement’s development through some of the country’s...

Mark Rendell, Steven Chase

USMCA heads into unpredictable new phase with no extension likely

With less than two weeks to go until the formal review of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, one thing has become clear: There will be no 16-year extension of the trade treaty on July 1. Mexico and the U.S. have already scheduled a third round of negotiations for late July, three weeks after the review date. Canada and the U.S. have...

Aaron Wherry

A legal challenge opens a new front in the debate over Carney's climate agenda

Activists want a new climate plan from the federal government. Speaking at Trinity College in Ireland last weekend, Mark Carney recalled that Edmund Burke, the influential 18th-century politician and philosopher (and an alumnus of Trinity), had once described society as a partnership between those who are living, those who are dead and those who are yet to be born.

Benjamin Lopez Steven

U.S. claims about higher drug trafficking from Canada don't match the data: fentanyl czar

U.S. border officials seized 0.45 kg of fentanyl at Canada border last month. s the U.S. claims its crackdown on drug trafficking at the border with Mexico is triggering more criminal activity from Canada, fentanyl czar Kevin Brosseau is pushing back — saying the numbers "really haven't borne that out." In an interview with CBC's The House, Brosseau pointed to...

Anger mounts over ‘unacceptable’ delays as Gordie Howe bridge to U.S. remains closed

For border businesses and truckers, nothing has been more eagerly anticipated than the opening of the new bridge linking Windsor and Detroit. Yet last Friday, they saw their long-awaited hopes dashed again following an earlier delay last fall. The gleaming Gordie Howe International Bridge — built and paid for by Canada to speed the flow of trade between the two...

Emily Fagan

K'omoks First Nation chief pushes back on Poilievre's opposition to treaty

K'omoks chief says criticism is 'based on claims that simply aren't true.' Federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre announced Friday that he and other Conservative party MPs will oppose the ratification of the K'omoks First Nation's treaty. Speaking in West Vancouver, Poilievre called for the treaty, drafted between the K'omoks First Nation, the province and Canada, to be put on hold...

Nick Murray

Inuit could pursue foreign partners if relationship with Ottawa sours: ITK leader

OTTAWA -- Canada's national Inuit organization is calling on the federal government to be better partners, saying Canada must respect Inuit rights to governance and self-determination.

Bill Graveland

Alberta separatists launch campaign, says province has resources to go it alone

About 35 people rallied today at a Calgary hotel ballroom to formally launch a campaign to convince Albertans in an upcoming referendum that its time to quit Canada. The campaign is called "Let Alberta Decide." Organizers promise it will be serious, fact-based initiative to persuade people that Alberta has the workforce, the financial wherewithal, and the energy and agriculture resources...

Frank Stronach found guilty on two charges related to two women in sex assault trial

Billionaire businessman Frank Stronach, who was accused of sexually assaulting several women decades ago, has been found guilty of sexual assault and indecent assault. Stronach, who is 93, pleaded not guilty to 12 charges stemming from alleged incidents involving seven complainants. The trial started in February, and by the time arguments wrapped up in April, prosecutors had withdrawn one charge...

Israel, Hezbollah call truce after fighting scuttles U.S.-Iran peace talks

Talks between the U.S. and Iran were called off Friday after intense fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, officials said, raising questions about an initial agreement to end the war in Iran.

Ivan Angelovski, Christian Paas-Lang, Eric Szeto

Canadian sniper rifles openly flaunted in Yemen, Sudan, Libya — despite arms sanctions

Newly uncovered videos and images show Canadian-made sniper rifles in the hands of Sudanese paramilitary fighters and a Libyan militia, as well as openly advertised online by Yemeni arms dealers, according to a CBC News visual investigation.

Ian Bickis

Human rights museum readies opening of Palestinian exhibit amid criticism

WINNIPEG -- The Canadian Museum for Human Rights says an exhibit about displaced Palestinians is to go ahead as planned, despite criticism that it's a potentially one-sided story.

Rob Breakenridge

Interview: Danielle Smith's high stakes plan to save Alberta — and Canada

The stakes have been raised ahead of Alberta’s scheduled referendum, as the ballot will now include a question on the province’s relationship with Canada and future in Confederation. In this interview with Rob Breakenridge, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith defends her decision to put this question on the ballot as well as her efforts to make the case for Canada and...

Colin D'Mello, Isaac Callan

Polling firm sends Doug Ford legal letter demanding retraction over ‘fake’ poll comment

A Canadian polling firm has sent Premier Doug Ford a legal letter demanding he corrects the record after Ford claimed the organization published a “fake” public opinion survey showing the premier’s personal approval rating at a record low level.

Christopher Reynolds

Luxury tax on planes, cars yielded over $900M. Now it's been scaled back

MONTREAL -- A luxury tax on cars, planes and boats yielded more than $900 million before it was scaled back amid concerns about the negative effect on manufacturers.

Marina von Stackelberg

Carney government passes law allowing authorization of banned pesticides

The federal government has brought in major changes to how pesticides are regulated in Canada, granting cabinet the power to authorize their use — even pesticides Health Canada has deemed are unsafe.

Nick Murray, Sarah Ritchie

MPs head home for summer break after Liberals pass contentious lawful access bill

Members of Parliament have wrapped up a spring sitting in the House of Commons that stretched over six months and saw the Liberals use their new majority powers to limit debate and push through contentious legislation. Prime Minister Mark Carney's government began the sitting in late January in a minority position. After courting five opposition members to join the Liberal...

Racy Rafique

Carney again praises U.S.-Iran peace deal after calling war 'worth it'

Keeping a nuclear weapon out of Iran's hands is 'why this all started,' says Carney. Prime Minister Mark Carney is again praising the new U.S.-Iran peace deal after calling the war "worth it" — if it ensures Iran does not acquire a nuclear weapon. Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Carney said keeping a nuclear weapon out of Iran's hands was...

Murray Brewster

Hegseth orders review of U.S. troops deployed to NATO in fiery Brussels speech

U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth chastised NATO allies as "shameful" for the restrictions placed on American access to European bases during war against Iran and put them on notice that the Pentagon will conduct a review of U.S military contributions to the alliance.

Davis Legree

Liberals quietly review all government funding programs for journalism

The federal government has launched a consultation on its direct funding supports for the news media industry. In a statement to The Wire Report, a spokesperson for the Department of Canadian Heritage confirmed Ottawa has conducted “targeted stakeholder engagement activities” with news companies, magazine publishers, and Indigenous media groups, which started during the spring.

US Poli

Mary Clare Jalonick, The Associated Press

Friction between Trump and Republican senators is growing before the pivotal midterm elections

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The relationship between President Donald Trump and Senate Republicans neared a breaking point this week as he upended their efforts to speedily confirm one of his own nominees and said he would not sign the renewal of a key surveillance law unless they agree to new terms.

Christopher Rugaber, The Associated Press

Federal Reserve keeps rate unchanged, but nearly half of policymakers would support hike this year

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Federal Reserve kept its key rate unchanged Wednesday yet almost half the central bank's policymakers said they could support a rate hike later this year, an unexpectedly aggressive outcome that would disappoint President Trump and suggests heightened concerns about persistent inflation.

Bill Barrow, The Associated Press

Georgia Republican legislative leaders reject governor's call for 2028 redistricting

ATLANTA (AP) -- Republican lawmakers in Georgia said Wednesday that they won't redraw congressional and state legislative districts for the 2028 elections during a special session called by GOP Gov. Brian Kemp.

Mike Catalini And Thomas Beaumont, The Associated Press

Trump goes after Netanyahu as he pursues deal with Iran, putting their friendship to the test

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told President Donald Trump last year that he was the "greatest friend Israel ever had in the White House."

International

U.S. and Iran to talk Sunday in Switzerland as Tehran says it closed Strait of Hormuz again

Israel, Hezbollah call truce after fighting scuttles U.S.-Iran peace talks

Racy Rafique

Carney again praises U.S.-Iran peace deal after calling war 'worth it'

Peter Zimonjic

G7 backs Canada as major global energy supplier to lessen reliance on Strait of Hormuz

Canada can 'deliver significant additional capacity,' G7 leaders say. Canada is poised to become a key and reliable supplier of energy to the G7 after leaders meeting in France embraced this country's potential to deliver "significant additional capacity" to global markets to reduce dependence on oil and gas coming through the Strait of Hormuz. "We commit to accelerate the diversification...

Kelly Geraldine Malone

U.S. Homeland Security secretary calls out 'fracturing' relationship with Canada

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin says the "fracturing" relationship between Canada and the United States needs to be restored to ensure security in both countries. Mullin made the comments during a fireside chat with Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree in Washington today. Mullin, who was confirmed to his position in March, says arguments between the two countries only expose...

Think Tank

Annette Hester

From Fragmented Data to Faster Decisions: Building a Sovereign Impact Assessment Agent

Canada’s impact assessment process is structurally fragmented. A new AI-enabled Sovereign Impact Assessment Agent (SIAA) would speed up assessments and save money by using the federal government’s extensive but fragmented troves of data on Canadian land, water, wildlife and atmosphere to pre-populate assessment applications, identify information gaps and help inform regulators’ final decisions.

Rupak Chattopadhyay

The Lesson for Canada in the Anthropic Ban: AI Sovereignty is no Longer a ‘Tomorrow Problem’

On June 12th, the American artificial intelligence company Anthropic —maker of the Claude AI assistant— issued an extraordinary statement, whose opening paragraph reads as follows: “The US government, citing national security authorities, has issued an export control directive to suspend all access to Fable 5 and Mythos 5 by any foreign national, whether inside or outside the United States, including...

Nigel Rawson, John Adams

Portable, accessible, universal health care in Canada: fact or myth?

Substacks

A collection of SubStack publishing within Canadian public affairs.

Dean Beeby

Canada's bad boy of freedom of information

Prime Minister Mark Carney’s own department, the Privy Council Office (PCO), has become the bad boy of freedom of information in Canada.

Dean Beeby

The black hole devouring cabinet records

Secrecy surrounding cabinet documents is so absolute in Canada that critics look to theology and astrophysics for metaphors to describe it. Federal cabinet records in Canada are treated as “sacred artefacts to be shrouded in mystery for decades, hidden in a black hole beyond the contemplation of judges, commissioners, or citizens.”

Edward Greenspon

The Opposable Prime Minister

In 2007, Roger Martin, then dean of the Rotman School of Management at University of Toronto, wrote a book called The Opposable Mind. It argued that the most successful leaders tend to be “integrative thinkers,” by which he meant they tackled problems holistically rather than breaking them down into component parts. Instead of seeking trade-offs, they are at ease with...

Podcasts

Good Talk: Canada Wins - Canada Wins!

Canada's fentanyl czar pushes back on U.S. claims

Opioid overdose deaths are dropping in Canada, but there is still a long way to go. Canada’s Fentanyl Czar Kevin Brosseau is fresh back from meeting officials in Washington, he tells The House what worries him most about this public health crisis and why the increasingly small quantity of opioids crossing the border is still an irritant for the Americans...

What just happened in the House?

Host Peter Mazereeuw walks you through the flurry of legal changes passed by Parliament in June and the political maneuvering that made it happen in this six-minute mini-pod.

Carney's G7 hits and misses

Mark Carney's mixed-bag G7 trip wins big interest in Canadian oil, and another snub from Donald Trump. Analyzing the big challenges facing the Liberals in the fall. And the Conservatives call out Carney for skipping Question Period.Rosemary Barton hosts Chantal Hébert, Andrew Coyne and Althia Raj.